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W. W. MARTIN,

SPIKE.

N0. 73,908 Patented Jan. 28, 1868.

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Letters Patent No. 73,908, dated January 28, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPIKE.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. MARTIN, of the city and county ofAllegheny, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Spikes for Rails of Railways; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full-and exact description thereof, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figuresof reference marked thereon.

It is a fact well known to all who are skilled in the science ofrailroad-engineering, that the action of the car-wheels, when in motion,causes a vibrating and undulating motion of therails, and that thisvibration and undulatory motion of the rails will loosen the spikes, andfree them from their hold in the "sleepers or crossties of the rails,thereby making the spikes ineificicnt for the purpose of holding therails firmly to their place on the sleepers or cross-ties. i

It is a fact also well known, that in driving nails or spikes into wood,if the fibre of the wood is cut at right angles to the longitudinalplane of the fibre, and if the plane of the long diameter of the nail orspike is on a line with the longitudinal plane of the fibre of the wood,the nail or spike can be driven into the wood 7 without splitting it,and, that the out ends of the fibre will drag downwards with any roughor uneven surface of the nail or spike, and again assume its normalposition, as near as the nail or spike will allow it, and that inproportion to the tendency of the fibre of the wood to keep on a directline with its growth, will be the hold of the wood on the nail or spike.Now it has been the aim and desire of those skilled inrailroad-engineering to obtain a spike for holding the rails to theirsleepers or cross-ties, that will compensate for and resistthe vibratingand undulating motion of the rail. I

Now, the nature of my invention consists in constructing a spike that isadapted to the natural tendency of the fibre of the wood, and will cutthe fibre of the wood at right angle to the longitudinal plane of saidfibre, and at right-angle to the long diameter of the body of the spike;and also in providing two sides of said spike with anumber of inclinedprojections resembling sections of screw-threads, which are so arrangedwith relation to each other, and to the body of the spike, that theywill perform all the functions common to a screw, and to barbs on aspike. i I

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, Iwill proceed to describe its construc tion and operation, In theaccompanying drawings, which form part of my specification- Figure 1represents a side elevation of my improvement in spikes.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the same.

Figure 3 represents a transverse section of the spike, when out throughat line x 7 Figure 4 represents a'transvorse section of a rail, and alongitudinal section of the spike, and a sleeper or cross-tie. V

I construct the body A and head B of the spike in the ordinary form, andby the usual means, but, in addi. tion thereto, provide the two edges a:and as with :a number of inclined projections, D, which resemblesections of screw-threads. The entering poinh C, ofthe spike, is made inthe form of a wedge. The cutting-edge of the point of the spike isformed by bevelling the lower part of.- the edges as and it.

As the form of the spike is clearly shown in the accompanying drawings,and its construction will be readily understood by the 'skilfulmechanic, therefore, without further description of its construction, Iwill proceed to describe its operation. In securing down rails forrailways, I drive the spike into the sleeper or cross-tie in theordinary mannenandwith the usual means, taking care to set the spike sothat the outting-edge of its point will out the fibre ofthe wood atright angle to its growth, that is to say, the plane of the longdiameter, indicated byline 2 of the body of the spike, must be parallelto the longitudinal plane of the fibre or growth of the wood. The spike,in entering wood, cuts its fibre at right angle, and the under side ofthe projections being inclined or bevelled, and arranged lengthwise onan oblique line to the longitudinal plane of the spike, it will, withits projections D, drive into the wood without breaking the fibre, whichwill, after the spike is driven to the desired depth, assume the line ofits growth, as near as the form of the spike will allow, and therebycause the wood to hug closely around the body A and projections D of thespike, thus giving to the projections D all the advantages of barbs on aspike, without the disadvantage of tearing and breaking of the fibre ofthe wood. which tearing and breaking is common to the barbed spike. Inremovingthe spike from'the sleeper or Foross-t e," I tnlze a suitablelover or other, means, end turn the spike around in the manner forremoving wood-screws. o

By eonfstructing spikes in theform herein described, I- obtain ell theadvantagesthnt are common to the screw. orbarbed spike, withoutliability, when driving it, of tearing or breaking. the fibre of thewood, end which will not turn, twist, nor become loose by the vibratingor undulating. motion of the rails.

11; will be observed that by making the sides a! and x flat, andparallel with each other, and the other two sides or edges, :1: and 4 inthe form of -a.res of a circle, the curvilineal measurement of which isgreater than the measurement of the parallel sides and 2;, and themeasurement of the chords of said arcs about equal to the measurement ofsaid parallel sides, the spike. thus formed'will here all the propertiesof a spike, the bod of which is square, when viewedincross-sectionQwhieh form expk'arierleea has demonstratedtoi-be the bestfor strength and holding combined. N ow be it' observedthat by my formof spike, viewed in cross-section, as elearly shown in fig. 3, I'obtainall the; advantages of the ordinary out nail. for driving into the'wood, the strength of thesquere spike end the holding quslityof the barbedspike.

I wish it elesrly understood that I do not claim a. serew-spike," or a.spike having two sides or edges cor rngated, but

What I oleim, is-

A new article of manufacture, viz, a. spikegconstruoted and operatingsuhstontially'as herein described and for the purpose set forth.

W. W. MARTIN. Witnesses;

A.'C. JOHNSTON, Jsmns J. Jounsron.

